


charisma check

by towine (blacktreecle)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Jealousy, M/M, Vaguely Post-Canon, honey pot mission-esque
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25477807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacktreecle/pseuds/towine
Summary: “Why can’t we just, y’know—” Liam gives a jerky shrug, tilts his head at their target sitting at the other end of the bar. “Pull him into an alley and threaten him?”Theo raises an eyebrow. “I know this might be a surprise to you,” he says, “but not everything needs to be solved violently.”“It’s worked for me so far,” Liam mutters.When Theo tries and fails to charm someone at Sinema, Liam steps up to the plate.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 19
Kudos: 194





	charisma check

**Author's Note:**

> listen, i know, i didn't expect to find myself back in the teen wolf abyss either, but. i binged the last 3 seasons recently, having never watched them before, and theo and liam seized me by the throat and won't let go.
> 
> so here we are! i.... love them. and i'm partial to jealous!theo and more-charming-and-competent-than-you-think!liam. i hope you are too. the band mentioned by name in the fic is fictional, but as band names go i'm pretty fond of it.
> 
> thank you, as always, to [artenon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/artenon) for the beta <3

“I got this,” Theo says over the music pumping out of Sinema’s speakers.

Liam fidgets with the coke in his hands—just coke, because the bartender didn’t even humor him by asking for an ID when Liam sidled up to the bar—and tries not to look as stiff and awkward as he feels. Theo, on the other hand, fits right in, leaning casually against the bar, the club’s flashing lights spilling over him in ways that are unfairly flattering. Liam takes another steadying sip of his soda.

“Why can’t we just, y’know—” Liam gives a jerky shrug, tilts his head at their target sitting at the other end of the bar. “Pull him into an alley and threaten him?”

Theo raises an eyebrow. “I know this might be a surprise to you,” he says, “but not everything needs to be solved violently.”

“It’s worked for me so far,” Liam mutters.

“Sure, it works. But situations like this go better with a little more… finesse.” Theo’s smirk is slow and smug. “Just watch and learn something, will you?”

Liam scowls. “Go on, already.”

Theo pushes himself off the bar and grabs Liam’s cup without so much as a _may I_ , and takes a gulp.

“Hey!” Liam flushes and drags his eyes away from watching Theo’s throat work. He snatches his cup back.

Theo grins and swaggers his way to the target. Liam hates him.

He tries to watch it unfold without looking too obvious, angling himself away from the other end of the bar and only glancing over every couple minutes or so. The target’s name is Zeke, and is their only lead on a hunt for, apparently, a group of warlocks disguising themselves as a punk band and using their underground shows to hex people. A few sources have pointed to Zeke as the one selling tickets, and Liam figured it’d be easy enough to just demand a pair and infiltrate the next show. Theo disagreed.

Liam watches Theo lean in and talk closely into Zeke’s ear, to be heard better over the noise, no doubt. It still makes Liam’s stomach twist, and he takes another sip from his cup.

Even without eavesdropping on their conversation, he can tell Theo’s turned up the charm. And he’s _good_ at it, Liam knows from far too much personal experience. But despite Theo’s crooked smile and coy head tilt, Zeke isn’t biting. Liam doesn’t need heightened werewolf senses to see that Zeke is bored, the nods and one word answers he’s giving polite but disinterested. Liam snickers, and from the way Theo’s eyebrow twitches, he can hear it.

Zeke looks about five seconds away from shaking his head and leaving Theo in the dust, and as much as Liam would love to see it, he also knows it would mean losing their only lead. So he downs the rest of his coke and walks over to tap Theo on the shoulder.

Theo turns to look at him with an expression of such fabricated politeness Liam nearly laughs.

He says, “Hey, Mason needs to talk to you outside.”

Theo frowns in confusion, and Liam tries to express to him via eyebrow waggles something along the lines of _you’re totally bungling this, please stop and take the out I’m giving you_.

It takes Theo a few seconds, but these last months of working together have given them an ability to understand one another without so many words. Mason called it creepy telepathy once, but Liam thinks it’s something closer to trust. Whether Theo agrees with that is yet to be seen.

Whatever it is, Theo seems to understand. He heaves an unnecessarily put-upon sigh, then looks back at Zeke and drawls, “I’ll be right back.”

Zeke flashes a totally false smile that makes Liam want to laugh again. He pats Theo’s shoulder as he passes and disappears into the club crowd.

Which leaves Liam alone with Zeke.

Liam suddenly wishes he hadn’t finished his drink, then at least he’d have something to do with his hands. As it is, he shoves them into his pockets, not bothering with suaveness.

“Friend of yours?” Zeke asks, looking at Liam curiously.

Liam holds a breath in his cheeks, thinking. “In a sense,” he settles on.

Zeke snorts, his shoulders relaxing. Liam grins.

“Liam,” he says and sticks a hand out.

Zeke looks at him funny, a smile playing at his lips. He takes the hand. “Zeke. You’re very polite for a random dude at a bar.”

“Not my usual scene, to be honest.”

“That so?” Zeke props an elbow on the bar, leans a cheek against his hand. “Don’t like crowds?”

“Oh, crowds are fine. It’s just the music.” Liam wrinkles his nose, and this, at least, is truthful. “Not my favorite.”

“Let me guess.” Zeke leans in, biting the corner of his lip as he drifts his gaze over Liam. Liam tries not to blush under the scrutiny. “You’re more of a punk rock guy.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Zeke points to the front of Liam’s shirt. “ _Noisy Habits_. I’ve seen them a couple times.”

“No way.” All pretense gone, Liam leans in eagerly, eyes wide. “They haven’t toured near Beacon Hills since I started listening to them, like, a year ago? That’s awesome.”

“I travel a lot.” Zeke’s smile grows, his eyes brightening just slightly under the club lights. “It’s fun checking out local punk scenes. Beacon Hills isn’t bad, either.”

Liam snorts. “That’s generous.”

Zeke laughs, throwing his head back. The amusement is genuine, Liam can tell, and he blinks in surprise. This is all going so much better than he expected.

“Seriously,” Zeke says after he collects himself. He’s moved minutely closer, enough to touch Liam’s elbow with a hand, bracelets and rings glinting. “I know some guys. They’re great.”

This is it, Liam thinks, he can’t blow it now. He swallows, doesn’t pull away from Zeke’s touch. “Yeah?”

Zeke seems to consider something as he keeps his eyes trained on Liam’s face. His tongue darts out over his lips. “Yeah,” he says finally, and his smile has an edge to it that shocks Liam in its familiarity.

It’s a little like the smirks Theo gives him, the ones after Theo says something toeing the edge of flirting. It makes Liam burn beneath his skin every time, especially when Theo’s smirk falls away into laughter, because that’s always what it is in the end—a joke. Never anything more.

This is not a joke. Liam can smell it, the scent of interest wisping from Zeke’s skin. Liam swallows. He wonders, distantly, if he’s ever checked closely enough to see if Theo was really joking.

Zeke glances at his smart watch when a text pops up on it. Liam is sorely tempted to read it, but he’s treading carefully, now. It won’t do to piss Zeke off.

Zeke’s mouth twists. He turns back to Liam. “Well, it’s been fun, _Liam_.” He draws out the two syllables of his name. “But sadly, I’ve got to go.”

“Really?” Liam tries to sound extra disappointed.

Zeke looks amused and… something else Liam is too flustered to put a word to. He pulls out his wallet, a worn-out leather thing covered in what Liam recognizes are hexes. This is definitely their warlock, and one paranoid of pickpocketing, at that. He opens it up and digs out two slips of paper. Tickets.

He grabs a pen from the bar and writes a string of numbers on one of them. When he’s done, he looks at Liam, a meandering stare from bottom to top.

He tucks the tickets into the waistband of Liam’s jeans. Liam nearly jumps at the brush of fingers against his hip.

“Next Saturday,” Zeke murmurs, leaning in. “Doors are at seven.”

“Cool,” Liam squeaks, grimaces, then clears his throat. “Uh, I mean—” in a deeper voice, “Cool.”

“Cool.” Zeke grins. “Hope to see you there, _Liam_.”

He squeezes Liam’s elbow again, then steps away. He disappears so seamlessly into the crowd it can only be warlock magic.

Liam releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, his heart still hammering in his chest. It… worked. He didn’t totally stick his foot into his mouth and end up in a bar fight. Take that, Theo.

… Wait. Theo.

Liam shakes his head to gather himself, then glances around. He doesn’t have to look far—Theo’s standing at the other side of the bar where Liam was earlier.

His elbows are on the counter, one hand curled into a fist in front of him. His knuckles are white. His eyes aren’t on Liam but out towards the crowd, in the direction Zeke just left. Then he turns to look at Liam.

His eyes are dark.

Liam swallows. It feels like anger, but he can tell it’s not directed at him. Still, he approaches with caution. Theo doesn’t get as punchy as Liam when he’s angry, but he does get bitchier.

When he reaches him, he lifts the hem of his shirt to show Theo the tickets tucked into his waistband. “Got ’em,” he says smugly.

Theo’s dark gaze turns even more murderous. He expected Theo to be annoyed about striking out, but this just seems excessive. He got the job done, didn’t he?

“Great,” Theo says through gritted teeth. His fist curls and uncurls restlessly.

Liam frowns. “Are you really that pissed that someone didn’t fall for your charms?” When Theo doesn’t say or do anything, Liam shakes his head and pulls the tickets out of his pants. “Whatever. Here.” He shoves them into Theo’s chest.

Theo grabs his wrist. Liam jumps, but stays thoroughly locked in place by Theo’s grip. His hand is still spread over Theo’s chest, and the tickets beneath his palm do nothing to stifle the heat that radiates from Theo’s skin. Theo slides his hand from Liam’s wrist up to his elbow, thumb dragging over the bare skin there.

Where Zeke had touched, Liam realizes.

Theo lets go of his arm, but Liam doesn’t have the current sense of mind to pull away. Not that Theo would let him, since his hand moves down to Liam’s hip next, fingers brushing against the hem of his shirt.

His thumb presses against Liam’s hip bone. Over the shirt, not touching the skin, but still. Liam almost hisses at the contact. Theo does that slow, hard drag again, like Zeke had left fingerprints on Liam and he’s trying his damnedest to wipe them away.

The slightest, faintest growl rolls in the back of Theo’s throat. Audible only to Liam, and even his supernatural hearing strains to catch it. Theo so rarely slips up at anything. Does he realize what he’s doing right now?

Another hard drag of Theo’s thumb and Liam’s about to ask that aloud, but then Theo blinks, clarity suddenly returning to him.

He snatches his hand away. Liam’s skin tingles where he touched it.

Theo takes the tickets, gives them a cursory glance. He keeps the one with Zeke’s number scrawled on it and holds the other one out. Liam takes it wordlessly, his brain still catching up on what the fuck just happened.

Theo clears his throat and says, “Let’s get out of here.”

Liam nods quickly. “Yeah.”

Theo stalks ahead as they leave, his shoulders stiff, all the ease and confidence he wore earlier lost somewhere in the last few minutes. Liam absently touches where Theo’s fingers just did, his skin feeling hot all over. As it so often does around Theo.

He looks at the boy ahead of him. There’s red in his cheeks, at the tips of his ears. Liam bites against a smile.

At least he’s not the only one.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! you can find me flailing on my teen wolf tumblr [@theowhy](https://theowhy.tumblr.com/)


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